No Longer
by FireOfRa
Summary: FINISHED! A former murderer whom was caught by Clarice five years ago has been released from Prison by accident. Knowing his time free is short, he only has one wish. To seek revenge on Clarice. Also, a familiar friend is back....
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer- I in no way own the original characters. **

**Chapter 1: Amore **

Dr. Lecter sipped his coffee and flipped through the World Today newspaper , occasionally looking up at the Eiffel Tower that was standing tall with all it's glory. His wrist still bared the scar where he had cut away at the hand cuffs that that daring redhead had slapped on him back in America. He would have cut off his own hand if he had been any shorter on time.

The air was filled with different scents, everything from the sweets of the café he was sitting in front of to the smell of perfume by young women that passed by. How he loved France, a perfect place for his final retirement. Though, out of all the things he loved about Paris there was still one thing missing. Something that he had thought about every day for the past seven months. After all, Paris was the City of love.

His attention was averted to a couple who had recently sat down in the table ahead of him. The woman couldn't have been more than a day over thirty and she was sitting beside an older gentlemen who was obviously in love with her. The young woman, Lecter observed, appeared to be madly in love with him as well only she was playing hard to get.

"Ah my love," The man's accent was strong, obviously he was French. "Please accept my apology. Work is work, I promise you this will be the last trip I make overseas."

The woman, who looked to be a sun worshiper for her skin was dark brown, crossed her arms and looked away. "I don't believe you."

"It will only be for a month Sarah. One month. I'll come back and I'll retire.…"

Sarah shook her head and looked crossly at her man. "You promised me last time." The woman stuck her hand in front of the man's face. "Do you see a ring on this finger?"

Lecter began to laugh which brought the attention of the arguing couple.

"Forgive me," Dr. Lecter began when he caught his breath, "I couldn't help but over hear your conversation."

Sarah looked down rather embarrassed.

Dr. Lecter tilted his head slightly to one side and smiled. "It is obvious you two are madly in love yet neither one of you want to admit it. Why deny your feelings for one another when you will find refinement in each other's arms." Dr. Lecter began thinking about his own feelings. "Love over labor, sir. Work is only temporary but the love of a woman," he smiled as he thought about Clarice, "especially a hard headed woman, is boundless."

The couple looked at Dr. Lecter and then glanced at one another in a smile.

"He's right." The French man took the hand of the woman. "I think I'll take that early retirement." The two shared a kiss.

Dr. Lecter folded his newspaper and finished the rest of his coffee. As he pushed his chair in and began to pass the couple's table they stopped him.

"Your words are those of a man who is in love himself. Yet you bare no woman on your arm." The man said.

"Oh I am in love." Dr. Lecter replied simply. "She just doesn't know it."

The tan woman giggled. "What are you waiting for then?"

Dr. Lecter looked down at his scarred wrist and thought about that night. The night that he had kissed Clarice. The night that he wanted to last for a lifetime. A lifetime with her. "Her." He said so rather softly. He smiled at the lady exposing his pointy white teeth and then tipped his hat at her. "If you will excuse me."

"Of course Mr.." The man went to shake Lecter's hand.

"Dr. Jonathan McKay." Lecter lied.

"Thank you Dr. McKay." Sarah called after Lecter as he began to leave.

Dr. Lecter continued walking down the street lined with specialty shops and tourist booths. "Thank you." Dr. Lecter quietly spoke to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Vengeance -**

A now Ex Agent Clarice Starling whom had been hanging low the last seven months, jogged down the long path that she so often used as a track. Now working as a secretary for the local criminal justice courts, she had plenty of time to jog. Though she had no hard feelings for Pearsall's decision to let her go, it was hard seeing his face everyday at work.

She jogged harder.

The phone rang four times before the answering machine took over. A frustrated Pearsall growled as he heard Clarice's recorded voice.

"Clarice." His voice was stern. "Clarice are you there? I hope for your sake you are. It's Pearsall, listen to me. Matthew Carter was accidentally released from prison this morning and has already killed someone. Nobody knows of his whereabouts. Clarice..." He paused a moment and sighed. "We have reason to believe he might be after you. If you would like we can hold you in protective custody until he is captured. If not..." he paused again. "Just be careful."

The machine clicked off.

"We have breaking news for you this afternoon," The eleven o'clock news started with it's opening line. "At nine am this morning a convicted Serial Killer by the name of Matthew Carter shown here," A picture of a middle aged man with evil eyes and a clean shaven appearance crossed the screen. "Was accidentally released from prison when a security officer mixed up the papers for a scheduled release of a man serving five years for domestic violence. You may remember Matthew Carter from five years ago, caught by this woman, Ex Special Agent Clarice Starling of the FBI and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Officers say Matthew walked out of the West Madison Prison, killing a security officer and stole a visitor's car. He is considered armed and very dangerous." The television, which was in a relativly nice hotel room, clicked off.

Clarice was lost in thought as she continued jogging. She couldn't get the night at Krendler's summer house out of her mind. The way Dr. Lecter was that night. Both amiable and malicious all at once. The look in Dr. Lecter's eyes, how the meaning of his words pierced her heart and how his kiss had been full of passion.

Something was different in the air, the sound of someone else jogging behind her. Clarice casually looked behind her but nobody was there. She had been in that situation before, thinking someone had been following her and when she went to look there was nobody around. Was she it all an hallucination or was she merely going insane? She decided that a break would suit her well and she stopped beside the rest rooms that was just off the path. She leaned down over the water fountain and quickly indulged in the cool wetness.

Someone was standing directly behind her.

He quickly dunked behind the building when he saw her turn. The woman was fast and smart, just like he had remembered her to be. She had to have been in order for her to have caught him. She would get what she had coming to her though, Matthew had dreamed of the day that he would kill Clarice slowly. He would take great pleasure in watching her suffer. Just like he had suffered inside all his life. He could very well take her right now and get it over with. But now wasn't the right time. In daylight...it would be too risky. He would wait until this evening where he would drag her back to the park's clubhouse. He had killed in a clubhouse before back in Montana and he doubted if anyone would have the brains to look for him in one. He smirked to himself as he headed back for the car. Yes, he had everything planned.


	3. Chapter 3

_This chapter contains some violence..._

**Chapter 3: Into the Night**

"Damn it." Clarice placed her keys down on the counter next to her purse as she looked at the flashing clocks. It would take the next twenty minutes resetting all the clocks in the house. She sighed and headed for the stairs for a shower, the clocks would have to wait until the morning.

He waited for her while she took a shower and while she dressed in to her nightgown. Waiting in her closet, waiting patiently for five years. His heart pounded and his palms were sweaty. The thought of revenge and how he would carry it out played over and over in his mind. There was no turning back now.

Clarice brushed her hair which caused little wet spots on her shoot from the water dripping off the ends of her hair. Letting out a sigh, she wasn't expecting a man to jump out from behind her when she passed the closet. Matthew pinned Clarice against the wall catching a usually strong Clarice off guard. She recognized him at once, how could she forget a cold face such as Matthew Carter's? Her heart pounded, what was he doing out of prison?

"Remember me?" His right hand pressed her chest bone against the wall while the left squeezed her neck.

"Matthew Carter." She struggled.

"You remember!" he sounded thrilled. "Well then, you'll know why I'm going to do this..." Matthew thrust Clarice forward into the other wall where she fell in to it head first.

It had felt as if her forehead had been crushed in but it couldn't have been too bad for there was only a small amount of blood oozing from her face when she felt it. Dizzy, she couldn't get away from Matthew as he came for her again. Everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Say His Name**

Clarice opened her eyes and found herself in a kitchen in a cabin like setting. She recognized the place at once for when she use to work for the FBI they would hold employee appreciation lunches here. She was at the Landon Park's picnic lodge.

Her head throbbed and it took everything she had to lift it off of the table she was lying on. Her body was heavy and she could barley move her arms.

Out of the shadows came a voice. "In case you forgot my crime history, a majority of my work was completed in park facilities such as this one."

"Your work?" Clarice managed to spit out. She wanted to fall back asleep, her eyes felt like paperweights.

"Did you hit your head to hard?" He walked over to a frightened Clarice who tried not to show it. "I know you remember me. But if you would like...I could make your forget." He grabbed her by the hair and lowered himself so his face was nearly in hers. "Of course the painful way."

"Fuck you." She cringed her teeth and spat on him.

Matthew leaned back slowly and rubbed the spit away by his arm. "Starling." He said softly. "You just really pissed me off."

Matthew jumped on the table throwing one leg over her so he was hovering above her. With his body pressed firmly against her, Matthew began to undue his button to his pants.

With all the strength Clarice had she madly wiggled about and managed to knock him off. As he began to fall of the table he locked his arm around Clarice's and dragged her down as well. She landed beside him on the floor, belly down. There was no time to feel the pain, Clarice started to crawl towards the door for an escape.

She felt a hand around her ankle and with one powerful pull he dragged her further away from the exit. Turning her over he once again pressed his body to her's.

"You always were the one to take charge." He howled madly before sliding a hand over her cheek and down her neck. "I have to hand it to you. You were a damn good agent." He continued his conversation as he worked his hand down her chest and to her stomach. "I always jerked off in my cell when I saw you on tv. You are pretty cute Starling." His hand rested on her stomach as if he were holding off the inevitable. "Then they flashed that cannibal guy on tv...what's his name?"

Clarice didn't answer, she laid there staring at him.

He slid his hand down further. "What is his name?"

"Dr. Lecter." She whispered as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She closed her eyes, she couldn't take much more.

"Say his name again Starling. I understand you two were pretty close while working together. Say it again, I want it to be the last thing you say."

Clarice opened her eyes as her head began to pound madly. She wanted to die.

"Dr. Lecter." Her tone was louder.


	5. Chapter 5

_Note: This chapter contains torture._

**Chapter Five: Release **

Matthew leaned back as he observed Clarice, her face emotionless and staring directly at him. _Why wasn't she afraid_? He pondered. He was about to end her life and she didn't shed an ounce of emotion except for the single tear that had rolled down her cheek. Matthew grew angry. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife.

There was a sound from behind that caught Matthew off guard. As he turned around he was just in time to meet a hand to his nose. Matthew fell back against the wall and tried to gather his bearings after he realized that part of his nose had been cut off.

"You see Mr. Carter, a common pocket knife is very dull compared to others. If you want your job to be neat and by judging in the past..." Dr. Lecter stood at Clarice's side so he was in between the two. "You do like to be rather organized."

"You son of a bitch!" Matthew howled in pain. "I'll kill both of you." He staggered to his feet, light headed due to the blood loss.

Dr. Lecter grinned almost daring him. "I would like to see you try." Dr. Lecter's tone was serious. He placed his back to Matthew giving him the opportunity to attack while he picked up Clarice and placed her on the table. "Wakey Wakey." Dr. Lecter grasped Clarice's chin and shook it slightly. He waited for her to open her eyes. "Don't close your eyes Clarice." He thought about explaining to Clarice that if she were to close her eyes and drift in to sleep she may never wake up. "I wouldn't want you to miss this." He said rather excited. He knew Clarice would understand his metaphor.

Clarice's eyes met Dr. Lecter's. His very presence brought back a flood of feelings and memories of the night at Krendler's town home. The night that Clarice realized there was a twisted part of her that actually liked the touch of Dr. Lecter brushing his hand over her cheek and the taste of his kiss. His eyes were fixated on hers and there was a smile across his lips and a twinkle in his eyes.

"Dr. Lecter," She started. "How did..?"

"We'll talk about that later Clarice. Right now I'm afraid I'm a bit tied up." He swung around in the nick of time to catch Matthew's hand in the air who's plan on stabbing Dr. Lecter from behind was disrupted.

"You really need to work on your stalking skills as well Matthew." With one arm Dr. Lecter twisted Matthew's arm that held the pocket knife and broke it as if it were a toothpick. Ignoring Matthew's howls he continued. "You see, I've been watching you who in return had been following Clarice. I knew every plan, every thought, every gesture you ever made since you walked out of that prison. A decision.."He leaned over Matthew who was on his knees. "That I must inform you, will be your last."

Dr. Lecter took the pocket knife from Matthew and examined it. "If I may correct myself when I said that pocket knives were messy. They are unless you are experienced." Dr. Lecter smiled and called back. "Are you still awake Clarice?"

"Yes." She whispered as if she were keeping a secret.

"Good." Dr. Lecter gathered Matthew in his fists and pushed him to a chair and forced him to sit down. "Do you know what happened the last time someone ill treated Agent Starling?" He was disgusted with Matthew. The kid was a slob sitting hunched over. What a disgusting disgrace. "Perhaps you would like to fill him in Clarice."

"Krendler." She tried to sit up.

"Lie still. It's hard enough on the body to try to keep you awake, love. And yes, you are right. Agent Krendler had a rather embarrassing ordeal of exposure." He leaned forward to intimidate Matthew. "Would you like me to demonstrate?" He held the knife up to the base of Matthew's forehead.

Matthew shook his head madly in a no. Blood seeped down his face from the hole that was once part of his nose.

"Okie Dokie." He lowered the knife and without taking his eyes off of Matthew's he slit across Matthew's pelvis which was easy to access beings that it had been unbuttoned from earlier. "Since you obviously don't know how to use it wisely." Winked Dr. Lecter.

Clarice listened to the cries of the prisoner. There wasn't an ounce of remorse for him. She had done the mistake as of feeling sorry for Krendler when she shouldn't have and she wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. _The same mistake twice_, she thought. Her mind began to drift back to the kiss and she became oblivious to the screams.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Aperture**

It hadn't taken long for the screams to have drowned in the night air. In fact, the sounds of silence other than the few crickets that chirped outside of the cabin is what snapped Clarice back to reality. She watched Dr. Lecter as he went to the sink and rinsed his hands. As he lathered up he looked back at Clarice.

Nothing needed to be said. Dr. Lecter knew that in her own little way Starling was thanking him. He gracefully wiped his hands off on a handkerchief before making his way besides the table. He studied Clarice as she now sat up, her legs dangling over the table and her hands against the table supporting her body. It took every nerve in his body as he reached up and rubbed Clarice's cheek.

"Time..." He began.

"To go." Clarice cut in and finished his sentence.

Dr. Lecter smiled. "That's my girl." He wanted so desperately to wisp Clarice off the table and take her away. Take her to a far away land where the two could live together in bliss, a bliss that Dr. Lecter had fantasized for many years. Yet, Dr. Lecter knew that it wasn't up to him to decide of his fate. It was up to Clarice. Would he be broken hearted again such as he was a year ago?

He waited a moment for a reaction. Nothing. No words came from her mouth, it was a typical Starling look. He smiled and took a step towards the door as the faint sound of a sirens called in the background.

He felt a hand around his.

The door opened as a radio cracked loudly. "A gentlemen called in with a tip. Said there was some screams coming from the shelter house."

"We're on it now." An officer stepped in the dark cabin and turned on the lights. "Holy shit!" He quickly turned around and threw up to the sight he had seen.

Another officer, obviously trying to hold down his own food called in to the radio. "We have a male body down here." He studied the empty room, the chairs were pushed neatly up to the table except for the one that contained the male body. This would be a hard case, there were no footprints to go by, no blood other than the crime scene. Who could be so neat and tidy during a murder? Perhaps it was a suicide.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Adoration**

Clarice locked her lips against a tall wine glass and enhaled the fruity twang. Sitting back, she pushed up her sunglasses and continued on with the conversation.

"I know exactly what you mean. There's really no other feeling in the world quite like it. Being happy, it's...something I've never experienced until now." She smiled warmly at Dr. Lecter as they sat side by side at the small cafe shop over looking the Eiffel Tower.

"I knew you'd come around." Dr. Lecter returned as he crossed his leg over his left and put an arm around Clarice's back along side her chair.

They both sat admiringly looking towards the Eiffel Tower occasionly pointing out couples who passed by.

"Mr. McKay, how lovely to see you again!" A woman's voice called out from the side.

Dr. Lecter glanced over at the table beside them and found the lady with the dark tan and the man from before.

"Ah indeed it is." Dr. Lecter returned.

"Please, allow me to introduce to you, my wife." He gestured over to Clarice.

Clarice smiled and held out her hand to great the couple, exposing a beautiful and expensive wedding ring.


End file.
